Resurrection, Everywhere

“Our bones are dried up, and our hope is lost; we are indeed cut off.” – Ezekiel 37:11

These words could be describing me right now. The announcement that schools will be doing distance learning came out recently, and for some reason it’s been a difficult prospect to face. I feel petered out from the ongoing childcare, unable to grasp the inspiration I need to resume the zooms, online assignment schedules, and supplemental lessons involving in doing education at home. My bones feel dried up. This was to be the fall all our kids began full-time school, leaving me space for the first time in ten years to consider spending more time in career or ministry, but my hope for that is lost. And we are still cut off physically from so much of the in-person community that makes life meaningful.

I wrote in my journal this morning, God, I need your resurrection power right now. I need you to renew my vocation as a mother and teacher. I need you to give me new hope in my personal life. And then I opened up my Bible and read this: “And you shall know that I am the Lord, when I open your graves, and raise you from your graves, O my people. And I will put my Spirit within you, and you shall live… I have spoken, and I will do it, declares the Lord.” I also happened to read in 1 Samuel 2, “The Lord… raises up… He raises up the poor from the dust; he lifts the needy.” Resurrection, everywhere.

Do I believe God can do this? Yes, I do. I believe this is the essential movement of the Christian life: realizing our limits, dying to ourselves, and receiving new life in Jesus. I believe God is a God who promises the world to those who are poor in spirit, who comforts those who mourn. Who makes an army out of dry bones.